Savoury Paximadia – Cypriot Crisp-bread (Κυπριακά Κριτσανάκια)

These twice-baked Cypriot crisp-breads are a pantry staple in many homes, including ours. They're flavoured with aniseed and coated in sesame seeds, with a light, crumbly texture that’s perfect for dipping into coffee, spreading with ricotta and honey, or serving with halloumi, olives, soups and salads. This is my mother-in-law Pantelista’s treasured recipe, halved from her original (which uses 12 cups of flour). They take time but reward you with a big batch of delicious, everyday crisp-bread that stores beautifully.

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Servings: 75 pieces (approx)

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

6 cups plain flour
1½ tablespoons dried yeast
½ cup extra virgin olive oil EVOO
2½ cups water
⅛ teaspoon bread improver optional but recommended
½ tablespoon salt
1 cup white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds/nigella seeds
2 tablespoons whole aniseed

Method

Add both white and black sesame seeds to a small saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Rinse, drain, then spread the seeds on a clean, damp tea towel and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift the flour. Add yeast, olive oil, water, bread improver and salt. Mix and knead into a smooth dough using a stand mixer with a dough hook or by hand.
Roll pieces of dough into long, thin sausages about 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick. Cut into roughly 9 cm (3.5 inch) lengths. Roll each piece in the damp sesame seeds and place on a lined baking tray. Allow them to rest and rise until puffed; this may take 30–60 minutes depending on room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Bake the paximadia for 25–30 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and repeat until all dough is used.
Reduce the oven to 100°C. Return the baked paximadia to the oven in batches and bake for another 2 hours until fully dried and crisp. Allow to cool completely.
Once cool, transfer to an airtight container. They will keep for weeks.

Notes

Paximadia are traditionally very crisp. The second, low-and-slow bake ensures they dry out completely and stay shelf-stable.
Bread improver helps give the crisp-breads a lighter texture, but you can leave it out if you can’t find it.
These are perfect served sweet or savoury – with ricotta and honey, dipped in Cypriot coffee, or alongside soups, salads, and cheese.

Savoury Paximadia – Cypriot Crisp-bread (Κυπριακά Κριτσανάκια)